Further Reading

Last week, Nintendo announced that YouTube video makers would be able to receive up to 70 percent of the ad revenue on videos featuring Nintendo games, up from a previous zero revenue share. YouTubers can only get that ad money after being approved by Nintendo, though, and the company says it's having trouble processing the flood of applications it has been receiving in a timely manner.

"Due to your enthusiasm for the program, we’re receiving a higher volume of applications to register channels and videos than expected," the company wrote in an announcement on the Nintendo Creators Program website. "It is taking longer than we anticipated to confirm the applications. We appreciate your patience as we work through them as quickly as possible."

The Creators Program User Guide says applicants can expect approval to take "up to three business days," a standard Nintendo has apparently not been able to meet. While video makers wait for approval, Nintendo presumably continues to take all the ad revenue from the videos in question, as allowed by YouTube's policies.

Even a three-day wait for that ad-sharing approval could be a big deal for individual videos, which often get the bulk of their views in the first few days after being posted. Getting preapproval for an entire channel also comes with its difficulties. As Nintendo recently highlighted (and as we pointed out when the program launched), approved channels must feature nothing but videos of Nintendo games, and only games from an approved white list, at that.

Nintendo hasn't responded to an Ars request for comment on its YouTube ad policies, but prominent video makers have already expressed widespread displeasure with the program. "I also think this is a slap in the face to the YouTube channels that does [sic] focus on Nintendo game exclusively," ultra-popular YouTuber Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg wrote. "When there’s just so many games out there to play. Nintendo games just went to the bottom of that list."

YouTuber Boogie2988 went even further in a recent video, pointing out that Nintendo could use its control over ad revenue to discourage videos that are critical of the company. "Nintendo has you over a barrel if you rely on creating Nintendo-related stuff... You're working for Nintendo one way or another, buddy."

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Kyle Orland
Kyle is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, specializing in video game hardware and software. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He is based in the Washington, DC area. Emailkyle.orland@arstechnica.com//Twitter@KyleOrl